Former Milpitas Post-Fremont Bulletin reporter a double winner of statewide John Swett Awards

Posted:
06/16/2014 08:56:09 AM PDT

Updated:
06/24/2014 03:00:25 AM PDT

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Shannon (Barry) Carr, center, accepts her two CTA John Swett Awards for Media Excellence at a May 30 reception in Los Angeles. Pictured presenting her the awards are, from left, CTA Vice President Eric Heins, CTA State Council Communications Committee Chair Lysa Sassman, Fremont teacher and CTA Alcosta Service Center Council Chair Brannin Dorsey, and Don Dawson, a member of the CTA Board of Directors and a San Jose teacher.

Shannon (Barry) Carr, former education reporter at the Milpitas Post and Fremont Bulletin, was a rare double winner as a 2013 recipient of the John Swett Awards for Media Excellence.

The statewide competition honors "outstanding coverage of community and campaign issues that touched California's schools, community colleges and state universities during 2013," according to the California Teachers Association, which presents the award.

"Thanks to the work you do, public education's story of hope, struggle and progress is being watched and discussed every day across the state," Dean Vogel, president of the 325,000-member CTA, said in opening the awards ceremony May 30 at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Los Angeles. "We all know the news business is changing in many ways. Like teachers, reporters are sometimes being asked to do more and more with less and less. But good education reporting -- like the work you have produced -- will always matter to our students, communities, lawmakers and our society. Journalists help us cut to the chase and see the truth."

It was Barry's third year in a row receiving this honor.

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This year she won for two news stories she did for the Fremont Bulletin: "Health care costs squeeze teachers" (Feb. 22, 2013) and "Fremont teachers protest class sizes, salaries" (March 15, 2013).

"One concerned a pivotal, March 2013 rally by the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association for fair salaries and smaller class sizes," CTA Vice President Eric Heins said in introducing her. "Our judges liked Shannon's thoroughness in dealing with the contract showdown."

He continued: "The other winning article dealt with how the high cost of health care was squeezing the pocketbooks of Fremont educators. The judges were impressed that this story went into details about health care issues not usually covered."

"In nominating her work, the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association praised her reporting for explaining vital issues like the education community impacts of soaring health care costs to local readers," Heins continued.

Additionally, Barry won a Certificate of Merit for feature story "Milpitas native smiles through her pain" (Aug. 9, 2013).

An independent panel of media professionals chose the 22 winning entries among 80 submissions for the 55th annual contest, which honors individuals, publications, websites, television and radio stations. Sherea Westra, president of the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association, nominated her work.

Barry has since left journalism to work as the communications and social media specialist at Morgan Autism Center, a non-profit organization and nonpublic school in San Jose whose mission is to help children and adults with autism or other developmental disabilities maximize their potential in a dignified environment. She now uses her married name of Shannon Carr.